


Two Rivers

by Nispedana



Category: Hunter X Hunter
Genre: F/M, Friendship, Gen, Gender Bender, Humor, Romance, female gon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-01-20
Updated: 2014-07-01
Packaged: 2017-10-29 20:17:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,579
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/323753
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nispedana/pseuds/Nispedana
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fem Gon. If Gon was a girl, how would the story unfold? If Zoldycks actually made a move to keep Killua their heir? And what if that blasted Chimera Ants arc didn't happen!?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER:** I WISH I OWN Hunter X Hunter

"This is spoken language."

' _This is someone's thoughts.'_

* * *

 _._

* * *

 **CHAPTER 1: Kaito x Gon x First Encounter**

WHALE ISLAND

Deep within a small island in the middle of nowhere exists a small and peaceful village. The houses conformed to a certain style, yet most established their own identity as directed by the people who lived there.

One such house is located farther from the rest. It was also a pub and shop which means people still go there. What was interesting was it is placed under two trees that got entwined together after long years of company. The house looked cute and peaceful on the outside, but inside…

"Waaaaaa…. I'm so _bored_ Mito-san! Can I _please_ go outside?" A 9-year old girl in the name of Gon Freecs implored her aunt. The little girl was cute with her huge eyes and raven hair that framed her face perfectly. Her aunt's eyes twitched.

"No, Gon, you're a girl. And girls are supposed to know how to do house chores." She stated as-a-matter-of-factly.

"But I already _do_ know how to do them! Desu." She retorted. _'Doesn't mean I have to do them…'_

Mito winced, knowing precisely what the girl just mused. She sighed and whispered to herself, "You're really nothing like your mother…" forgetting the fact that her niece had superhuman senses… which meant the little girl heard.

Gon tilted her head in wonder. "Nothing like… _you_ , Mito-san?" She asked innocently, she knew Mito wasn't her birth mother but she never knew either of her parents. So she pretty much believed Mito _is_ her parent. Mito's eyes widened and she quickly tried to hold back her tears.

"You can go o-out and play now, Gon." She muttered making Gon frown.

"But if I leave, you'll cry." She bluntly stated, making Mito really want to cry. Mito went closer and hugged her tightly.

"It's fine Gon, it's nothing you did. So go out and play now. I need some time alone, please." She said to the concerned girl sweetly.

"But…"

"Get out, Gon." She ordered gently pushing the girl to the door.

"But—"She retorted as she stepped outside.

"Get OUT." Mito shouted and slammed the door at her face.

 ~~...................................................................................................................................................................................................................~~

FOREST

Gon absent-mindedly wondered around the forest. At a young age, she knew when her aunt is lying. She was extremely worried about the older girl and was in a trance the whole time. After a while, what pulled her out of her daze was a loud growl that would make most people immediately run for their lives or freeze in terror.

But not Gon. She did live in the forest her whole life, and she was gifted with incredible instincts so that she was able to survive and learn anything on her own. She calmly looked around to see that she walked into fox-bear territory. Soon, her eyes shifted to the source of the sound.

It was a fox-bear, of course. And a huge one, at that.

She gulped. _'Uh oh….'_

...

The beast growled again, this time making her shiver. She saw the cub right beside her. The bigger one was the mother, she knew. And she immediately deduced that she was in more trouble than she had expected. She quickly surveyed for an escape route.

There was absolutely no way to tame this one. She was a mother. And it is nearly impossible to tame a mother who is convinced that something- or someone- will harm her child. The fox-bear went closer making her flinch. She frantically looked around again.

There was no escape route good enough to outrun the animal. It was already too close to her.

But nothing good will happen if she just stands there. So she decided to try the closest escape route and pray that lady luck was on her side. She carefully stepped back and gestured to run when—

 _SLASH_

A sword that appeared out-of-nowhere found itself inside the mother fox-bear and an instant later she was lying lifelessly on the growl with a helpless cub crying for her.

Gon froze.

...

The tall long-haired man towered over the small girl who was frozen in front of him. She was staring blankly at the two beasts. He saw tears line up in the kid's eyes. He knew that it was not tears of relief, it was of grief. He frowned irritably.

"What the hell is a little girl like you doing deep in the forest? And in _monster_ territory! Did you not know that you could've died?" He yelled at her vehemently only to be ignored.

"You didn't have to kill her."

"That's true. So I should've let her kill you instead, huh?"

"She has a child." She just spat back.

"…That reminds me." He muttered as he unsheathed his sword and walked towards the cub. "This little one must die as well. He will attack humans after this." He said, held up his sword, and whispered an apology. He gestured for a painless slice when-

"NO!" The girl shouted determinedly as she placed herself in front of the cub in an instant. The man flinched at the girl's quickness, but froze at her strong unwavering gaze that was all too familiar to him. He mechanically returned his sword back to its cover and asked,

"What's your father's name?"

"I can't tell you-desu. Mito-san told me that I should not give other people's or my name to strangers." She stated making him wonder who this 'Mito-san' is. He sighed.

"I suppose so… So, what are you planning to do with the cub?" He asked, curious.

"Raise it- masu." She replied. He scoffed.

"Goodluck with that then, kid."

* * *

"You're not allowed to get in the house until you tell me the truth." Mito stated decisively as she pushed her rugged-looking niece, with a number of wounds here and there, out the door… again.

"But Mito-san-!" Gon shouted as she knocked on the door.

"No." She responded from behind the door. Gon let out a heavy breath to ready herself to tell her aunt the truth.

"I found a fox-bear that lost its mother. I tried to raise it…" She muttered under her breath making Mito open the door. She smiled fondly at the little girl and patted her head.

"You should start taking care of yourself, Gon."

"Hai…desu…"

...

*The next morning*

Gon excitedly ran towards the river where she left the long-haired man and the cub, which she decided the name Gonta, remaining balanced as she made sure the bowl of milk in her palm would not spill. She saw that the man had his back on the tree hugging his sheathed sword, with a hat covering his eyes. She shrugged and went to the cub lying near her mother.

She stared sadly at the mother fox-bear for a while and decided to bury her. She dug a huge hole and readied a bed of flowers beside it. Then she placed herself near the mother fox bear and took a deep breath to ready herself to move its large corpse. But the body of the fox bear, nearly 20 times as heavier than her, seemed to be reluctant to move. She pushed and pushed until it _finally_ moved half a meter.

She pushed again, this time it moved by itself.

She blinked, and saw that the long-haired man was helping her. She smiled at him, but the man just ignored her and continued pushing.

"Thanks." She said as he returned to his original position. He made a simple nod.

Gon then turned her gaze back to the cub. She took the bowl she put somewhere and placed it near the cub. She walked back and pretended not to watch. Several minutes later, Gonta slowly walked towards the bowl and slowly licked the milk away. Gon smiled and let herself watch the cub openly. She stared at the cub fondly but was stopped when she felt that she was being stared at, herself.

She looked at its source and asked, "Is there anything wrong long-haired-niichan?"

"Kaito's my name, kid."

"…Is there anything wrong Kaito-nii?"

"Omit the honorific."

"Why?"

"I don't like it."

"Why? Mito-san said I should since you're so _old- _desu__ " She stated bluntly making him sneer in both irritation and amusement at the oddly polite insult.

"… I'm only turning 17 in a few weeks."

"Really?"

"Really."

She beamed getting him to wince.

"(Advanced) Happy birthday, then. Kaito-san!"

...

*A few days later*

Gonta playfully played with the little girl as they played in the river. Gon already caught the cub's heart, and Kaito was very impressed.

' _Good hunters are liked by animals.'_ He mused recalling how her father, his master, was also loved by the creatures. She already introduced herself as Gon Freecs. She didn't say what her father's name was but it was obvious that they're related. Gin told him about a child he left behind, and it can only be her.

He did not know why her aunt kept her father from her, but he knew it was none of his business. In fact, he had no reason to stay… the time he found out that his master wasn't here and the moment she gave him a basket of fruits as a birthday gift he should've left.

He looked at the girl who was watching her new-found friend fondly as she made a fish act like catnip.

He closed his eyes again for another nap.

' _It's not like I'm in a hurry, anyway.'_

....

After fighting with himself several times whether or not to tell her about her guardian's lies, he decided to go with the former.

"Gon." He called the girl semi-loudly. She was out of sight and was probably up a tree somewhere but the girl had superhuman hearing. He heard the gentle rustles of leaves, and it was getting louder.

"Hai?" She asked with her trademark stare.

"Is your father's name Ging Freecs?" He asked her bluntly getting her to involuntarily let go of the branch but she reflexively regained her balance, much to Kaito's relief.

"You know him…?" She responded incredulously.

"He's alive, and I'm looking for him right now." He stated at the girl who looked as if she believed him, but there were no traces of anger in her eyes.

"Why?"

"He's my mentor as a hunter, finding him is the last part of our exam."

"I see…" She muttered, Kaito flinched at the continuous absence of anger in her eyes.

"Your aunt lied to you, you know."

"Yeah. But she has her reasons, I'm sure she's planning on telling me in the future. And I think I knew he wasn't dead yet…" She smiled at him sadly. He patted her head.

"You sure are mature for someone so simple-minded..."

"Hn?" She tilted her head.

"Nothing."

She tilted her head at the older person's odd behavior. The boy just sighed.

"I'll be going now." He stated and abruptly stood up.

"Huh?"

"I can't stay here forever, you know."

"You can't?" She asked with innocent skepticism. He hid a smile.

"No. But we'll meet again if you try to look for your father. If you want to, of course."

"I will. But I don't think Mito san's going to like it – desu." She muttered, but it was obvious she was determined to do what she just said.

"Become a Hunter, just like him."

"I'm planning to. I want to find out what kept him from coming here- desu"

He grinned.

"We'll be waiting, Gon!" He declared and started walking away. She waved at him.

"See you later, Kaito-san."

 **.**

 **.**

 **END OF CHAPTER 1**

 _**Coming soon** _

**CHAPTER 2: Fish x Rod x Departure**


	2. Fish X Rod X Departure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gon meets two of her two future best friends!

**DISCLAIMER:** I WISH I OWN Hunter X Hunter

* * *

.

* * *

**CHAPTER 2: Fish x Rod x Departure**

LAKE

It had been three years since her encounter with Kaito, her father's apprentice. She was planning on doing what he told her, and she did prepare for it… you know, somewhat.

In any case, she was currently sitting under a large tree, fishing with her father's awesome rod. She grinned at the thought of her father doing the same thing and the fact that her aunt _finally_ admitted his existence. It was a miracle that her aunt gave it to her. She laughed to herself.

She was definitely going to catch this fish.

.

Mito hated the idea of Gon taking the Hunter exam, of course, but the little girl really had power. She was truly becoming more and more like her father- and she disliked that thought.

Becoming adventurous like her father meant that she was going to leave them! And she's just a 12-year old _girl_ , too!

She put her hand in her face in despair when she felt another one land on her shoulders. It was her mother smiling reassuringly at her.

"Mito, you worry too much. Put faith in Antigone will you? Besides, you raised her in a way she would never forget to come back here as much as she could."

"Ah…" She agreed, but the twinge in her heart was not going away. She even made her do an almost impossible task, but a huge part of her knew she was going to make it.

"I'll miss her…so much…" She whispered sadly, trying to muffle a sob, and her mother hugged her immediately.

"We all would."

* * *

Several hours later arrived a monstrously huge fish in front of their house.

"S-SUGOI!" A small child yelled as he pulled her parents' shirts to pull them in for a closer look.

"Seriously?" A random guy exclaimed incredulously at the sight of a tiny girl holding up a fish no less than 10 times her weight.

"Unbelievable…" An old man muttered to himself for he, even with 6 more men, failed to catch the said fish.

"Pinch me, Hon." Another guy asked a favor to his wife, who mechanically did so without looking away from the spectacle.

Gon grinned at the sight of her aunt and grandmother who just got out and looked around at the crowd. She knew they were sad, but she was determined to pass the exam and make them proud, anyway.

That, and her aunt seemed to be holding a grudge against her father… so she decided to punch him for her the first time they meet.

Mito sighed in defeat and signed the authorization form. Gon smiled fondly at her.

"I'll make you proud, Mito-san." She stated making her smile like usual. She patted her niece's head and smiled sadly.

"You already did, my Antigone. You already did…"

...

*The next day*

After bidding her farewell to her family and friends (which includes Gonta and the other animals, of course), she took off on a small boat heading downstream to the ports. She slept for a bit considering it would take her at least half a day to reach the ports with her little vessel.

She yawned involuntarily and went deep into Lala-land.

* * *

Kurapika was washed his face with the freshwater the river supplied to wake himself up, for he was tired of the long journey he had just taken to reach this island that looked so much like a whale. He needed to be alert at all times, he cannot fail the exam he was about to take.

He stared blankly at the river and reminisced his past... the reason he wanted to become a hunter, over and over again. He felt that it was his duty to- To never forget his tribe, whatever happened to them, and whoever did it to them. He was the sole survivor of the Kuruta clan, and it was his responsibility never to forget the anger he was harboring and to do whatever he can to avenge their deaths.

But when he saw a little boat slowly go past him, it seems like all his troubles were blown away.

It was just a small water vessel; gracefully following the flow of the river... having no obstacle strong enough to impede its movements. And inside laid a little girl about 3 years his junior, sleeping so peacefully, and seeming to have absolutely no troubles at all. He unconsciously smiled at the sight.

Then as if sensing his gaze, the girl stirred.

He didn't take his eyes off her as she sat up, stretched, yawned, and then finally surveyed her surroundings. He scoffed, amused at the little girl.

' _How cute.'_ He chuckled internally.

But the smile he didn't know he was wearing disappeared immediately when his eyes met hers. She had huge amber eyes that had the ability to pull so many things inside of him... A gaze so innocent and strong could really make a person drop his guard. And she was still half-asleep, too...

"Ohayou." The girl lethargically greeted. He awkwardly smiled and replied likewise.

"Where am I?" She asked as she lazily wiped the sleep out of her eyes.

"The city ports." He stated making the girl wake up fully.

"Ah... Arigatou." She smiled at him and waved right before taking the rows and took herself to the ports. He stood up to watch the girl as she slowly go farther away from him. She then momentarily let go of the rows to wave at him again.

"See you later, blonde-niisan!" She shouted getting him to sweat-drop.

"A-Aa..."

...

Several minutes since she landed, Gon started to wonder where the boat to dole is. All she knows is that it should be there...in the docks... somewhere...

"Hmm..."She mumbled to herself and decided to ask around. She _tried_ to ask a few sailors but they were all so big that they barely took notice of her, and once they did most of them didn't want to bother considering they were all too busy and that the little girl would just waste their time.

So after realizing that asking huge sailors would do no good, she decided to go to town and ask if anyone knows. Sad to say, most of the people there aren't particularly aware of the ingoing ships.

"You're looking for a ship to Dole, little girl?" An old man asked, smiling. She nodded excitedly. The man smirked and told her to follow him when—

"Wait right there, ossan. What do you intend to do with that little girl?" A man in a business suit with small glasses questioned assertively getting the man to flinch.

"I don't know what you're talking about." He muttered, trying to mask his nervousness.

"You're planning on selling that little girl as a slave, aren't you?" The man replied with a frown. The older man glowered and quickly took a knife hidden in his clothing. Gon's eyes widened.

"Watch out!" She warned, but turns out the man didn't need it. He effortlessly avoided the attack and forced his opponent to let go of the weapon.

"Sugoi, Ossan!" The little girl complimented making his eye twitch.

"I am _not_ old, kid." He stated and turned around to walk away from the oblivious kid who obviously can't distinguish good or bad...

And to Leorio, young and old.

...

"Wait up!" She shouted at the old man again. She hadn't thanked him properly yet, and he hadn't given her a chance so far. Their walking pace became faster and faster to the point that the older person's vein popped.

"Go away, kid! Stop bothering me! I need to get ready for my exam!" He yelled. The girl blinked.

"Exam? Could you be taking the Hunter exam as well? Hey! We could go find the ship of Dole together!" She exclaimed optimistically. The older man frowned at her statement. A 12 year old girl taking the infamously deadly Hunter exam...! There's no way he's going to help her.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Ehh? Then what exam are you taking then?"

"...Medicine." He lied trying to sound as indifferent as possible. Gon tilted her head in wonder.

"Medicine...? What for...?"

"You need to pass it so you could be a doctor." He replied as-a-matter-of-factly. Then she beamed, surprising him to no end.

"You want to be a doctor? _Sugoi_ , Ossan!"She yelled admiringly making him stutter in embarrassment and surprise.

"I-I-I am _not_ old. And o-of course I'm awesome." He just managed to utter.

"You'll be a great one, ne?" She commented innocently forcing him to straighten himself up.

"How do you say so?" He asked inquisitively. Gon just let her smile stay to where it was.

"You just said you're awesome. So I bet you are!"

* * *

Kurapika watched the scene that unfolded in front of him with amusement.

He was just eating at a diner a moment ago not in a particularly good mood because of a spider. But like earlier, the appearance of that little girl from the river shooed his bad thoughts away.

And now she was touching somebody else. He smiled.

The older man in the business suit probably had very few people believe in him. And the girl just had the quality that will make you believe in whatever she says. He smirked as the man struggled to calm his embarrassment.

"THIEF!" A woman from his left shouted out of the blue, and a moment later a running man approached the direction of the two figures he was studying. He saw the man smirk as he watched the vendor of the fish shop run after the thief. He just found a way to escape for the girl _and_ get some free food.

So he piled the fishes into his briefcase and quickly ran away.

The girl just stared to his direction, not really knowing what happened. Kurapika unknowingly gazed at the girl again, but this time the girl sensed it and looked onto his direction. They let their gazes meet for a while before she smiled back at him.

"Yow" She grinned, he replied to her with a smile. But then as if hit by an arrow, the girl remembered that she had some asking to do. So she waved at him and ran after the older man.

Kurapika sighed. He was going to tell her where to find the ship she was looking for. She was a very interesting girl, and he felt that she was going to do well in the exams so he was willing to tell her. He would have unexpectedly good company, as well. He shrugged.

' _She's going to find that ship without my help, anyway. I know it.'_

_..._

Gon (literally) sniffed around and followed the old man's unique perfume. Her eyes opened when the scent combined with many other very familiar smells that wasn't in any other part of the city.

She ended up in a Zoo. A portable one, at that.

Gon entered not anticipating the trouble she would cause. First, she awed everyone with her ability with animals. And second, she let them all run wild.

' _What have I gotten myself into?'_ The old man thought to himself since he actually _helped_ the girl cause the chaos. Not only that, but he heard that awful sound a ship makes when they were leaving. There was only one ship heading out at this time.

' _Darn it!'_ He cursed but odd enough, he didn't regret helping the kid out.

"Ossan! Ossan!" She called as she followed him around, _again_.

"Go away, kid! I'm going to miss my way to Dole!"

"Dole? Is the Medical exam in the same city as the Hunter exam? We can go together, then!" She stated making his eye twitch even crazier. He hastened his pace, but the little girl was _seriously_ quick. He let his eye shift towards the direction of the ship. His mouth opened in aghast.

"The ship's leaving!" He yelled loudly in despair making her swiftly look at his line of sight.

"WA!" She shouted. He scratched his head in panic and annoyance while Gon stared at the leaving vessel for a while. The man noticed her assessing daze and asked himself,

' _How can she be so calm?'_

* * *

Her calmness paid off, much to any one with a brain's amusement. She used her rod as a swing to get herself and the old man to the boat, safe and sound, without having to swim at the rate of 40km/hr.

"I have to admit, you're not that bad kid." The old man said. She grinned.

"My name is Gon, Yoroshiku!"

"Leorio." The older man declared with his thumb proudly pointing at his above-average face.

"Kurapika." Another boy, albeit younger, intervened. Gon stared at him in recognition, Kurapika chuckled internally.

' _This is going to be an interesting trip, indeed.'_

_._

_._

_._

**END OF CHAPTER 2**

_**Coming Soon** _

**CHAPTER 3: **Pride X Storm X Exam****

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please review! And I will no longer upload chapters in this website. Please go to http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7636977/2/Two_Rivers if you wish to read more.


	3. Pride X Storm x Exam

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The exam finally starts!

This chapter is much more canonical than the earlier ones so be warned. I'll try my best to twist the events so please tell me whether or not I succeeded. And if it's been a while since you've watched the show, I suggest you not skipping the canonical paragraphs, ne…?  
Don't skip the dialogues, too! Most of 'em are mine…

And please don't hesitate to review. :D

DISCLAIMER: I WISH I own Hunter X Hunter

...

CHAPTER 3: Pride X Storm X Exam

IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SEA

Their voyage started relatively peacefully, you know… considering the ship was full of self-proclaimed barbarians. This meant that little disagreements would turn into full-fledged fights.

"Cut his head!"

"Spear 'im!"

"Kick him in the*****!"

…were just a few of the rather loud shouts. The three continued to do their own thing until a certain captain caught everyone's attention by throwing those involved off the ship. He stated that as long as they were in his ship, they wouls all follow his rules or else they would have to swim to Dole.

"Who does he think he is?"Leorio muttered under his breath while Gon and Kurapika continued on with their indifference. For a few hours, they remained that way. That was until Gon sensed the change in humidity as well as other signs indicating the approach of huge storm.

"A big storm is coming." She voiced out, getting everyone-who-heard's attention and Leorio's incredulous scoff. The captain asked why she thought so and she coolly reasoned out her statement. The captain immediately told the crew to get ready, much to Leorio's visible shock.

The captain then let out a knowing smile and looked at the little girl staring seriously at the horizon. He saw another figure—a figment of his imagination- standing confidently beside his daughter. He grinned.

'Your daughter is pretty interesting, after all… Just like you said.'

...

Turned out Gon was right- and so everyone went inside the cabins to take cover. As anyone would expect, traveling in a storm was rough causing several of the well-built men to either vomit, faint, or call for their mothers. When the captain came to check, he mentally mocked the ambitious men- soon noticing the three people who were seemingly unaffected by all the chaos.

Leorio was looking at his compact mirror, arranging his tie. Kurapika was sleeping soundly, while Gon was doing acrobatic stunts on a wildly rolling barrel. The captain scoffed and mused that the only ones going to make it to the main exam amongst these reservoir of idiots were those three.

The storm went on and Gon was doing really well, showing off her inhuman reflexes and balance. But when she saw a large man rolling to oblivion heading towards her direction, she was caught off-guard and she effectively lost her balance.

"AH!" She yelled catching a certain narcissist's attention, and waking a slumbering blonde up.

A small thump was heard and Gon found herself getting carried by Leorio. She smiled.

"Thanks, Leorio-san." She stated making him grin proudly at his valiant act. Just when she got down, though, the boat turned left sharply getting Leorio's face to land on the floor. The boat stabilized immediately afterwards but when Leorio got to his senses he immediately looked at his handy compact mirror only to experience the shock of his life.

"Are you alrigh- HAHAHAHAHAHHA!" Gon exclaimed as she saw Leorio's expression of despair. Add that with a swollen cheek and you got a nice little image of mocking comedy. Leorio cursed and continued to look at himself in the mirror, while Gon didn't stop laughing.

They didn't notice the pair of cerulean eyes watching them blankly.

...

BOOM!

CRACKLE!

BAM!

And more and more screams of grown men were heard around the cabin. But thankfully, the storm started to calm down. Slowly, yes, but surely.

An hour passed by and the storm officially came to an end. Gon's laugh-trip did too, after an annoying amount of time- much to Leorio's chagrin. She apologized and he scoffed, before she tightened her ponytails and went in to help the other passengers. Kurapika offered to help, and Leorio (as an aspiring doctor) reluctantly did the same.

"Well, well… don't we have a number of doctors on board?" The captain said, amused by the sight. He asked their names out-of-nowhere getting Leorio to object while the other two told him their names without question. Kurapika, though, seemed to have forgotten to add an honorific on Leorio's name while he explained to him why there was no need to hide their names to the ship's captain.

The captain smirked, and then asked why they took the hunter's exam. This time only Gon told her reasons unquestioningly while the other two were very unwilling to tell theirs. As they reasoned themselves out to the oblivious Gon, and a tension between them keeps building up. Kurapika seemed to always forget the honorific and also seemed like he had a knack for intervening with Leorio's sentences as well. Leorio's eye twitched crazily.

'Does he have something against me?'

Not long after, the captain revealed that he was an examiner so the two were forced to tell their reasons. Kurapika said that he needed to regain what was stolen from his tribe and to put the criminals behind bars, while Leorio told him it was all about the money. Gon scratched her head since she recalled that Leorio wasn't taking the exam but then shrugged it off. She just told herself she probably heard wrong.

As the discussion continued, Leorio inquired why he had to be a hunter to carry on revenge. Kurapika said it would be easier. And soon enough, the conversation turned to something offending and the tension between the two just got worse. They simultaneously gritted their teeth in annoyance.

They challenged each other for duel.

The two- in the heat of anger- ran to the main deck and glared at each other. A split-second later, they were in each other's throat with each of them saying the other should apologize. It was mainly a battle of pride since then.

Although... it was certainly an impressive fight, especially for two youngins, the captain thought. But it wasn't really necessary. Their fighting was stopped the instant they saw a certain girl jump off the boat to save one of the crew members.

The two forgot they were in the fight and went to help the girl and his crewmate.

THUMP!

"Gah!" Leorio gasped as soon as he was sure they were all safe. It seemed like he lost his breath as he pulled the idiots back to the deck. Kurapika was panting, the crewman practically unconscious, while Gon was grinning.

Her lack of nerves at the moment hit theirs.

"GON!" They simultaneously yelled, making her flinch.

Kurapika and Leorio really wanted to hit the girl on the head. She made them worry way too much, and much to Kurapika's concern… much more than necessary, as well.

"I'm sorry." Gon apologized her relieved smirk now completely gone. Somehow this triggered an arrow of guilt to attack him.

He let out a deep breath and stared at her. "Just... don't do something so careless again, alright?"

Gon blinked at his sudden calming, and so did Leorio. So she just smiled.

"Hai..."

After landing, more tests had to be overcome before they could get into the main exam. The first one was the inconvenient two choice problem, which introduced them to the very possible sacrifices they might have to make once they became hunters. The next was the test set up by the Kiriko, shape-shifting beasts, wherein they all passed with flying colors- showing off their individual strengths.

The way to main exam was definitely unconventional. And it now seemed natural for Kurapika and Leorio to bicker here and there. It started with Gon's obliviousness at the advantages of being a hunter, so when they tried to explain- their beliefs, pride, and principles collide… again.

The mocking and cursing stopped when the large elevator did, too. They were given pins with numbers indicated in them. Gon was number 405, while Kurapika and Leorio got 404 and 403 respectively.

She looked around and for some reason her eyes were immediately attracted to a young boy about her age, who was then looking at her with equal interest. He had spiked silver hair and emerald eyes that felt as if they would go right through you. She never let her eyes part from him until he heard an awful scream of terror not too far from the boy.

She immediately shifted her gaze to the scream's source and saw that half of the person's body was literally stuck on the wall, she didn't know how he did it but it was obvious who did. It was a man, in his early twenties, with an aura that was literally spitting that he wanted to kill. He had bluish silver hair and was wearing an outfit that expressed him as a 'magician' or a Joker. Most likely the latter.

Gon continued to gape at him until he turned to her maintaining his blood-thirsty eyes. But she blinked in surprise the instant the man nonchalantly smiled at her when he noticed. Leorio immediately turned her around as soon as he saw since he knew that the Joker was dangerous. Kurapika maintained his frowning face directed to him. That joker had an incredibly dark presence, that he had felt similar to his targets.

A man named Tompa approached them not too far later. He said he took the exam 35 times and knew all there was to it, so when the examiner appeared and the exam of stamina and mental strength started, he started introducing a few repeaters.

Apparently, the magician was named Hisoka and he failed the previous exam since he almost killed an examiner.

*An Hour Later*

They continued with their run and Leorio still shivered every time he recalled Hisoka's blood thirsty eyes. Kurapika remained impassive while Gon turned around at the sound of wheels approaching them. The boy from earlier was then on her row using a certain apparatus with wheels.

"Hello." She muttered casually.

"Hi." He answered with the same nonchalance. She smiled lightly and looked at his item.

"What's that?" She asked curiously getting an instantaneous gape from the boy.

"It's a skateboard." He stated and then pointed at her back.

"That?" He asked, Gon lifted her hand to touch whatever the boy was pointing to and found out that it was her father's rod.

"Fishing rod." She responded unceremoniously. The boy blinked.

"You're weird." He stated, making her blush lightly and chuckle at his 'flattery'. He smirked internally.

"That wasn't a compliment."

"It wasn't?" She questioned, not thinking otherwise. Leorio scoffed in amusement while Kurapika just observed them. He seemed to be doing that a lot more than necessary lately…

"She has a hard time distinguishing between two opposite concepts, kid." Leorio said, grinning. The boy stared at him blankly and asked something that made Leorio's eyes twitch like crazy.

"Who are you ossan?"

"I am not old. I'm only in my tens! Damnit!" He exclaimed catching everyone's attention…and disbelief.

After a moment of silence-

"EHHHH!" Tompa yelled.

"Really?" Gon uttered silently.

"Unbelievable." Kurapika whispered to himself.

"NO WAY." A random guy at the back commented.

"…" the boy expressed.

And inevitably, a vein popped on Leorio's head. "URUSAI!"He shouted and increased his pace and then started muttering curses as he ran.

"Che."

...

But more and more hours passed- and Leorio got tired. Really tired. It was as if he was being pulled down by the ground.

Tompa volunteered into taking him and another examiner to a sort of healing sap. Gon and Kurapika decided to stay there and wait for them.

"What are you guys standing there for?" The silver-haired boy asked, stopping his tracks.

"We're waiting for them." Gon answered nonchalantly making the boy stare at her in curiosity.

"Why? The examiner's going to leave us behind. It's too late for them, and if by some miracle they do recover they could still follow."

"Because he's our friend."

"Friend…?" He voiced out, surprised at how interested he was. Then, he wondered where he'd encountered this smell that the walls were emitting before...

"Hai. You can be one of ours, too. What's your name? You know… if we see you again after this." She asked pulling him back, he tried to ignore the odd sense of delight slowly creeping inside him- unsure of how to see them. He only felt this emotion when his father or grandfather praised him.

"Killua." He said and the girl smiled.

"I'm Gon, and this is Kurapika."

But then Gon suddenly whipped her head to the direction where Leorio was taken. It was as if she heard something. Her eyebrows arched an instant later signalling the other two that there was trouble.

"See you later, then, Killua." Gon then shifted her gaze to Kurapika and asked him if he'll come with her, and Kurapika nodded immediately. He trusted Gon's instincts to the point that he no longer needed to think about it. He followed Gon's line of sight.

They couldn't just stand by and wait, after all.

And after a little while of sprinting, they found out just how correct their intuition was. Something was wrong, and they overheard everything that bastard Tompa said.

He enjoyed crushing rookies, he stated. And Leorio was just one of his victims.

After Tompa ended his bragging, he turned around only to see two very angry kids frowning at him. His sweat dropped and told them to take care of Leorio before he loses it. He took their momentary panic-stricken phases as an opportunity to escape. They two immediately ran towards their friend while he ran towards the boy who scared him to no end.

"Better stay away from them, old timer." He said to him in an incredibly cold voice. He saw the fat guy shiver and slowly back away from him. He never took his piercing glare away from the man until he was completely out of sight- which, unsurprisingly, didn't take long. He sighed and skateboarded to where the others went to.

As the smell attacked him again, he flinched. He just remembered what the familiar scent was, where it came from, and what it could do. His eyebrows arched involuntarily, and he unconsciously hurried his pace.

THUMP!

Gon was hurriedly running after Leorio who was walking in a daze, when Kurapika suddenly fell down on his knees. Killua had arrived right on cue, and immediately shook Kurapika crazily in an attempt to wake him up, but to no avail. Kurapika's eyes turned red, which shocked Killua making the silver-haired boy shake him even more crazily.

He turned around to Gon who was then pulling Leorio towards them. When she saw that Kurapika was also in some sort of spell, she slowly let Leorio go and walked towards them. Killua decided to walk deeper to the place in order to survey the area and find possible escape routes.

Gon looked at her friend, whose eyes were crimson. In most cases she'd probably think it was amazing and pretty... but the expression on Kurapika's face made sure she thought otherwise. She gently placed her hand on his cheeks and tilted his head so that she could get a better view of the expression of despair he was wearing.

"Kurapika..." She called softly. He flinched slightly, but there was otherwise no response.

"Kurapika." She called again, but this time with a turn that urged him to come back. He cringed a moment before blinking the daze away. His eyes widened as he saw that Gon was right in front of his face, letting her soft and warm hands lie on his burning cheeks.

She slowly took her hand away the instant she saw that he regained his consciousness. She grinned warmly.

"Welcome back."

...

BOOM!

The wall disintegrated catching everyone who was running like hell to follow that blasted examiner to gape in shock. They saw several figures jump off the newly created wall.

Most of the figures, which meant everyone save for Leorio, landed on their feet gracefully. Leorio quickly dusted himself and regained his composure, only to be angered by the sight of the person who almost made him lose all sanity.

"TEME—"He muttered as he grabbed the fat guy's shirt.

"That's enough, Leorio-san." Gon states sternly getting him to lose his grip at an instant. He opened his mouth to kick some reason into her head when Kurapika intervened.

"She's right. We have already wasted enough energy." He said and then glared at Tompa, before adding, "He's not worth it."

Killua smirked and sent an intimidating glare towards the Tompa's direction causing him to lose his footing. He didn't take off his eyes off him until Gon called his name.

"Let's go now, Killua." She stated, and Killua nodded and immediately followed her.

"Where'd you get the bomb?" Gon asked Killua with extreme interest.

"My brother made it." He replied coolly, remembering the little injury he inflicted on his own brother.

"Sugoi, he must be real smart then?"

"In many ways, yes. But he's really mostly just an ass."

"Really?" She asked, confused that a person could be just a butt.

"Yeah." He asserted, misunderstanding the question. "He'll trade anything for his Otaku collection."

"He must really love them, then?" She commented, catching him by surprise. He really didn't think of it that way before.

"…"

"Killua?"

"Probably." He shrugged.

"What about you then, Killua? What are the things that you like?" She asked innocently.

'Killing…?' He mused, since he really didn't know anything else.

"I like fishing… and climbing trees… and playing with my animal friends." She muttered, answering her own question. She then looked at Killua to hear his answer. He didn't, he was just staring in front of him blankly so Gon decided to wait patiently for his answer.

Kurapika, on the other hand, just observed the two children running in front of him. But somehow his focus was really on the younger one. He mused how the sound of her voice so easily attracted his attention. He was confused, but thankful all the same. He had to find a way to repay his lengthening list of debts to her someday.

He continued to stare at her, a habit growing stronger and stronger every minute. But this time she turned back at him and smiled beautifully. He blushed, especially at the remembrance that it was the first thing that he saw when he woke up that time. He was about to smile back at her when she abruptly turned to the boy beside him who was audibly scoffing in irritation.

"Hmph." He muttered quietly as he shifted his visibly annoyed face away from her.

"Killua?" She inquired, puzzled at his behavior.

The boy ignored her and threw his skateboard in front of him and then used it. Gon stopped her tracks for a second in absorption of what happened.

"AH!" She exclaimed. "No fair!" Gon immediately ran after the other kid who was getting farther and farther away from her.

"OI! Kil-lu-a!" She called every time she placed herself wherever he was facing, only for him to turn at the other direction like a spoiled brat.

"Killua~!" She called again while moving to wherever he was looking…again.

This became somewhat a cycle that a few of the contestants who saw chuckled to themselves - even the examiner. He smirked as he looked at the two kids with his peripheral view of vision.

'What adorably tenacious children.'

.  
.

END OF CHAPTER 3

Coming soon:  
CHAPTER 4: Hisoka X Assasination X A Long Third Exam

...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CP: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7636977/3/Two-Rivers
> 
> Thank you for reading and please leave some feedback! :)


	4. Hisoka X Assassination X A Long Third Exam

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The third exam starts!

Special thanks to those who reviewed so far! Thanks to those who fav'ed, too! Little actions mean so so so so much to me~! (:DD Also, I would really appreciate it if you like **Hunter X Hunter Fanfiction facebook page!** Link's on my profile.

 **DISCLAIMER:** I WISH I own Hunter X Hunter

* * *

...

* * *

**CHAPTER 4: Hisoka X Assassination X A Long Third Exam**

"Killuaaaaaaa." She called again. Now they were in the latter part of the first exam. They were in a swamp filled with carnivorous critters killing contestants off every few seconds. She was so preoccupied with Killua's stubbornness that she noticed her two other friends were left much farther behind a little too late.

She stopped her tracks, finally earning Killua's attention.

She heard gasps, but they were different from all the others. Her instincts were telling her to go to her friends, and Gon being Gon, unthinkingly did so.

"Oi, GON!" Killua exclaimed at her figure that was going back to wherever they came from.

"I have to go back. We'll just see you at the destination!" She said hurriedly and immediately ran back. Killua stopped his tracks as well, pondering whether or not to follow her.

After a moment, he decided not to follow her after all- he was too stubborn to do that, besides... he was acting like some spoiled brat just few seconds prior _and_ they _did_ just meet. He realized that he couldn't just go and follow her wherever she went. Besides, he felt she wouldn't be persuaded to do otherwise anyway.

He sighed in annoyance, went to follow the crowd, and simply hoped for the best.

*Several minutes later*

Gon was staring at his eyes as he held her chin and lifted her. She was never scared of him before but for some reason he was suddenly emitting such a strong presence that her body involuntarily shook. Hisoka noticed the sudden attitude of the girl towards him when he slightly let go of his Zetsu.

He smirked. This little girl was so interesting. First she showed no fear even after seeing what he did to who knows who that was. And now he allowed tiny amount of aura to overflow and she sensed it.

"You pass." Was all he said. He was playing examiner after all, and for now he didn't want the little girl to hold a grudge on him so he let her friend live as well. He saw potential on the narcissistic man, anyway. So he held him up to his shoulder and decided to carry him to the second exam center.

"Where are you taking him?" The girl asked guardedly, but Hisoka thought she was still adorable.

"To the next stop. You better hurry or you'll be late, too." He stated in his usual shrill voice. The two kids just looked at each other comprehensively and Hisoka just shrugged. He went away before them, and soon enough the two decided to follow him as well.

**...**

' _What's taking them so long?'_ Killua thought as he waited at their destination. He was starting to feel anxious at the turn of events. Gon should be beside him right now- He didn't really get why he minded so much, but right now he didn't really care.

The relief he felt when he saw her unscratched was not any less unexplainable, either.

The two kids only grinned at each other.

"Yow." Killua greeted with a smirk, giving a small hint acknowledgement to Kurapika's presence.

"Yow." Gon grinned back. They then started looking around, with Kurapika, for Leorio and they saw that he was still unconscious resting his back behind the tree.

The three felt like laughing... both in relief and just how funny Leorio actually looked. Their churning of their stomachs did not stop- in fact they got stronger when Leorio woke up... finding his face in a very bad state.

"GYA! My h-handsome face!"

And they laughed.

**...**

_THUMP!_

The start of the second exam was signaled by the slow opening of the warehouse door. It revealed a _huge_ fat guy (No, that wasn't redundant), and a pretty pink-haired girl with an attitude.

The first part of the test was easy. They just had to catch a flesh-eating boar about 15 times larger than her and grill it. The bug guy - an examiner named Buhara - tasted them and decided that they passed the first exam. The littler one was evidently annoyed at the low standard of tasting her partner raised.

But the standard _she_ raised was definitely insane. She led the second part...and was a complete disaster.

They all failed.

They all failed because of a weird dish called 'sushi'. At first only that bald ninja knew the dish since he grew up at where it originated. It was fortunate for the other contestants that he had such a big mouth for someone who was trained in stealth. He told them (by accident) the steps on how to make it. He stated how easy it was -which it wasn't- earning a grudge from the examiner getting her in a much worse mood than before.

When they finally got the form, still no one satisfied Menchi. And soon enough, she was full.

And that was how they failed.

Naturally, a lot of debate, cursing, and name-calling ensued yet no one was able to convince her. For a moment, they all thought they'd fail because of some cooking exam.

But then the president of the Hunter's association came to their rescue.

His name was Netero, and he seemed to have steel legs.

...

SOME THOUSAND METERS ABOVE SEA LEVEL

The four of them passed the new second exam in a breeze. And now they were on a blimp, with Leorio and Kurapica resting and Gon yelling compliments in amazement somewhere else. She stared at her companion who was looking at _her_ in amusement and not the pretty view below. She tilted her head and asked,

"You don't like the view Killua?"

"It's not that. My family owns a few planes, you see… I'm so used to this by now."

"You're family is rich…?"

"Sort of." He shrugged.

"What does your parents do?" She inquired making Killua looked at her for a second… mostly reluctant to tell her.

"Assassination." He stated anyway. Gon blinked.

"Both of them?" She asked in curiosity making him chuckle in astonishment.

"You're weird, Gon."

"Hehehe." She uttered while she scratched her head due to the 'compliment', again.

"Hehhehe." He just repeated in amusement. He stared at her for an instant and recalled a question that had been bugging him quite often.

"So… what happened when you separated from me at the swamp?"

"Hisoka played examiner."

"You mean he had a killing spree." He rephrased. Gon gaped at him in amazement.

"Yeah. How'd you know?"

"He and I smell the same." He said bluntly consequently getting her to literally sniff him.

"OI!" He yelled, flinching. She then looked at him in the eye and said.

"No you don't."

"I don't mean it literally." He replied, sighing.

"Then what do you mean…?"

"…"

"Killua?" _No answer._ "What's wrong?" She called again, still getting mere silence as a response. Killua looked away and shifted his gaze to the semi-reflecting mirror of the blimp. He was looking at himself, Gon noted, with both contempt and guilt.

"I used to be an assassin, too. He and I- we both kill people… innocent or not." He muttered under his breath, hoping she did not hear a single word. But of course, this was Gon- and she heard every single syllable.

"You're not an assassin anymore?" She questioned nonchalantly. He shook his head.

"And you don't like killing…?" Killua just faced her expectantly. Gon saw the new glint in his eyes and tilted her head in wonder.

"So what's the matter, then?"

...

They went into the café later that night for nice and tasty fruit shakes. Gon ordered papaya while Killua ordered coconut. Killua paid for everything, telling her it was payback. But for what he wouldn't tell. As they were sipping their heavenly beverages, a girl about Kurapika's age approached them in a seemingly friendly way.

Gon smiled welcomingly at her and she smiled back, but when her gaze turned to Killua, her eyes changed.

A little after that, things happened- and so quickly that they practically happened in a blink of an eye.

Apparently the girl's name was Anita, and she was after Killua. Killua, or one of his family members, killed her father and had sworn to get revenge- even if it meant illegally sneaking in the aircraft. It didn't take long for the association to find the stowaway. They had a game with Netero, with Anita's freedom and instant license cards as a reward if they won. They failed several times, and Killua was forced to forfeit due to an unpleasant impulse.

He was scared of what Gon might think if she saw him like that- like his true self. It was precisely those thoughts that kept him from killing Anita when she escaped, and found him brooding somewhere. Even during all those times the girl attempted to attack him. For a moment he thought he would lose it, but then-

_BUMP!_

"Oi, Ossan give up already!"

He flinched and stepped away from Anita, who was still shaking. She thought she was going to die.

'Gon?' they mused simultaneously and Killua ran immediately to the window at the end of the corridor where he and Anita fought. He was pulled back to his senses when he saw Gon still fighting desperately to get the ball.

She still failed in the end, but impressed the president all the same so he decided to let Anita go. Too bad they didn't get the license cards.

The aircraft landed on a tall tower not long after. They all bid their farewell to the stowaway there, as they were going to be left there. Killua stepped closer and gave her the earrings that she dropped during one of their encounters. The girl grabbed it away from him in fury. Killua shrugged.

"People who aren't hated don't get killed off by assassins." He stated just before she was taken away back to the blimp. She cried and told him otherwise. Netero sighed, and Killua told her what her earrings was made of.

It was made of a very addictive drug -and that led to countless people's demise. She sobbed in both despair and sadness. And Gon... couldn't help staring at her emphatically and soon going closer.

"Why don't you work hard and pay back those people on your own pace and your own way? I'm sure your father would be glad when he finds out that the bad things he caused were lessened by his lovely daughter, ne?" She grinned widely making the older girl stop crying entirely.

Kurapika smiled and chuckled internally, _'Another victim, Gon?'_

Then he saw Killua smile as well with his peripheral view of vision, he frowned. He felt slightly uncomfortable before, but right now the boy looked at her in a way that Kurapika definitely did not like. He shook his head immediately of the thoughts.

_'What could be happening to me?'_

_BLIMPBLIMPBLIMP  
_

They watched the blimp slowly fly away, many of whom thought they'd miss the odd sense of security that it brought. They looked around at the plateau of metal they were standing at, and thought of how they could possibly get down as they were asked to- in _three_ days. _  
_

In any case, the third exam was starting and they were determined to pass.

**...**

*Three Days Later*

_CLANK_

The mechanical metal door slid close, and 5 people huffed in relief as they literally were almost a second late from being closed off.

The third exam was definitely challenging and they barely made it. But props to them though, they took (involuntarily) _the_ hardest path in the infamous tower. They all, save for Tompa and Leorio, showed their capabilities well. Kurapika his strength, Killua his abilities to kill, and Gon for her instincts and unusual train of thought. Tompa's cowardly side just showed off even more, while Leorio his sensitive and…perverted side.

Killua mentioned this once, calling him 'perverted old man' during their 50-hour stay at the waiting room rousing Gon's curiosity.

"What's a pervert?" She asked almost as soon as she heard the new word.

"They are—" Killua replied without thinking getting a shut-up from a certain blonde in return.

"Don't tell her!" Kurapika yelled as he hid his blush. "There are things better off without knowing, Gon."

"Like what?" She asked in puzzlement making Kurapika blush even harder. She blinked.

"Why are you so red, Kurapika? Are you sick?" She commented anxiously automatically placing a hand on his forehead to take his temperature. Killua's eye twitched and he reflexively took her hand away.

"He's not sick Gon! He's just-"

"He's just what?"

"…"

She puffed her cheeks in annoyance and looked at the other two. They received the younger one's threatening glares and they immediately shook their heads pretending innocence. And Gon being Gon, she did not really suspect anything but she shook her head in dissatisfaction, anyway.

And everyone else just remained silent.

...

A message of congratulations from the examiner echoed in the waiting room. This made them feel that they, indeed, really survived and passed that exam.

They got into another blimp and were sent to an island with a huge warship stuck on its side. It was a hotel it seemed, and everyone wrongly assumed that it was a vacation.

They were given the task to find treasures among the shipwrecks surrounding the warship in order to pay the insane hotel fees. The type of room they would get would depend of the value of the treasure that they attain.

A lot of exchanges happened between the examinees and the hotel keepers as well as the examinees themselves, mostly because they didn't like their roommates. Gon and Killua were one of the few who didn't really mind, especially since they were rooming together.

When Kurapika found out about it, he definitely was not happy. He asked the managers to arrange Gon to room with one of the other two girls but they said that would no longer be possible since they were already settled. Well, there was Ponzu and the snakes but the old woman had no idea she was uncomfortable.

"Besides, the children seem comfortable together so why do you look so frantic?" the old man commented at the young Kuruta who was desperately sparring with his blush. The old woman grinned.

"Or is it that you would want to exchange with the boy…?"

"NO! Of course not… It's just that… Oh, never mind." He uttered in annoyance and stomped away. At least Leorio was his roommate… not that he wasn't worse than the others, which he found out a little too late...

And as he brooded about the room arrangements, the two kids were at the other side of the boat fishing.

_FLOP!_

"EEEK! It's looking back at me! Disgusting!" Killua exclaimed as he saw the just-cooked fish's eye 'stare' at him and he shivered at the sight much to Gon's befuddlement. He could take a person's heart straight from his chest and squeeze it as if it was orange- and he was disgusted with _fishes_?

After passing the puzzled stage, she grinned. Now she finally knew Killua's weakness.

"Ah! I think I haven't killed it yet!" she shouted making Killua drop the poor fish on the floor in aversion. His facial expression was epic.

"You're so weir-HAHAHHAHAHA-d Killu-HAHAHA–a"

Killua blushed both in embarrassment and something else. She noticed this and immediately recalled what happened to Kurapika not too long ago. She held her hand this time since she was not sure if he was sick or not anymore.

"Are you alright, Killua?"

"Y-Yeah."

"You're not sick are you?"

"No."

"Then what are you…?"

"…I… don't really know…"

"That's odd…" She stated and looked at the clouds in puzzlement. Killua did the same and whispered,

"Yeah…"

* * *

The first half of the first night was relatively nothing special in comparison to its other half. Well, _relatively_.

At the start of the night, Gon told Killua that she had bad sleeping habits and she would probably fall down using the bed provided. Killua said he was the same and so they simultaneously had an idea – to make their beds into one big one.

Killua had no idea why he was so embarrassed… yet so comfortable sharing a bed with her to the point he could sleep almost immediately. _She_ certainly did, and he smiled at her sleeping figure no more than a few inches away from his. She did not feel tense at all.

He continued to stare at her and wondered what was happening inside of him. He absolutely had no experience with anything remotely similar. He had the sudden urge to touch her, but decided against it.

So he just looked at her serene face, and listened to her breathing.

It was like a lullaby...

He fell asleep not too long afterwards.

**...**

_"KILLUA!"_

He was woken up by Gon's uncharacteristically stern voice. She said she kept hearing things and that it was getting closer and closer to them. She was telling him something similar earlier in the day, but the difference now was that he could hear it as well. They immediately ran outside to see what was happening.

A storm is coming their way. And it was _huge_.

"Let us all keep calm, minna!" Hanzo announced, but everyone had a glint in their eyes that they were already planning something to deal with it individually.

It wasn't even an hour since most of them were proven wrong.

During that time, the storm already took a number of participants' lives- and they definitely did not want to lose more specially due to their lack of information. So, they decided to form an alliance so that they survive the trial. Kurapica and Hanzo were designated as leaders and they led them all magnificently, while Gon and Killua were the ones to find a diary containing most of the information they needed. Everyone who survived the first wave made it to the fourth exam.

Gon, though, was still deep in thought. There was a time where she went to save Leorio, and she did- but something happened and she thought she was going to die. It was just before they escaped the storm and she knew she was drowning- but then someone saved her… and she dreamed it was _Hisoka._ She was reluctant on approaching him since she wasn't sure if it was him since it was so hazy.

In any case, she needed to thank _someone_ for saving her life.

**...**

Hisoka was staring blankly at the sea recalling the events that happened just a few hours ago. He and Illumi pretty much saved the day, albeit they didn't do anything before that. He smirked at the recollection of saving a certain girl from drowning.

He had been surprised as to how much he hastened to get the little girl, but he concluded that it wasn't any trouble at all anyway. That beaming smile of hers would certainly be a pitiful sight to lose. He watched her ponder about who-knew-what and then she looked around afterwards. She caught a sight of him and jogged closer and then smiled, making him flinch slightly.

"Ne, Hisoka. Were you the one who saved me during the storm?" She asked bluntly. He smirked. He would have said 'yes' even when he didn't. The girl was lucky that he actually _had_.

"Hai." He stated with his usual smooth way of speaking. "How do you plan on repaying me?"

She arched her brows and put a hand on her chin as a gesture of thinking. Hisoka smiled genuinely at the adorable sight she made.

"Then what about I catch you a _big_ and _meaty_ fish for breakfast?" She offered hoping he'd accept. She did not know anything else to offer. Hisoka mentally simpered.

"That sounds… nice."

.  
.

**END OF CHAPTER 4**

_**Coming soon:  
** _ **CHAPTER 5: Hunters X Killua X Promise**

* * *

...

  


* * *

**Thanks for reading! Please pause before proceeding, and please  
**  leave me some feedback? Anything would be great, so long as it came from you angels. xD


	5. Hunters X Killua X Promise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hunters X Killua X Promise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone~! Thanks for reading esp. those who took spent a few minutes telling me what they thought, too. In any case, I'm here to remind everyone to please check my profile when you find the time. :D

**DISCLAIMER:** I WISH I own Hunter X Hunter

* * *

...

* * *

**CHAPTER 5: Hunters X Killua X Promise**

A little before the start of the fourth exam. The kids had a momentary moment of peace.

"So… What were you talking about?" Killua asked Gon after she returned from her short fishing trip. He eyed Hisoka who ate her catch looking visibly amused.

"I had to pay him back."

"For what?"

"He saved me once, I think." she muttered as she scratched her nose. In any case, she loved fishing so it wasn't a surprise she'd be wanting to do more. She stared expectantly at her friend who really didn't have any choice but to flinch.

"Ne, Killua…" he stared. "Want a fish too? Want to catch one with me?" She offered, and seeing as he was a tad envious of Hisoka's fish- Killua found himself smirking.

"Sure."

**_..._ **

**_BUMP_ **

The boat finally stopped and the examiner with a few of his assistants came out of their rooms to go and speak with them.

The fourth exam, apparently, was a literal a hunting game. They were asked to pick up a card from a box they provided, and told them afterwards that they correspond to number plates containing the number of the person whom they were supposed to hunt. They needed to get 6 points to proceed to the final step. The player's own plate together with their target would comprise 6 points all in all, while other plates were assigned only a point each.

She put a mental image of her number and frowned. Her target was the most feared person by most of the contestants- even by some examiners: Hisoka.

She wondered if her luck had ran out for good.

But then again, maybe it didn't.

She was scared, definitely, but more than anything she was _excited_. She looked forward to this challenge and how she was going to deal with it.

And yes, even _she_ knew that catching a fish for him again would not do the trick.

* * *

*Days Later*

* * *

A long time passed since the exam started and the usually-optimistic Gon couldn't be even more miserable.

She _failed_ keeping her hard-earned plates a _minute_ after she obtained them. It was definitely a horrible thing to happen to a person, especially when one worked so hard to practice to get it. She managed to hide her presence during those days she followed her target, impressing Hisoka in the end yet again.

But she totally forgot the fact that someone might just be targeting _her._

Hisoka killed Geretta and _gave_ the plates to her, claiming he did not need them. He told her she could only return it to him once she got a clean punch on his face. She refused to accept them- not that she doubted she could land that punch, but because of her personal pride. She was not going to change her mind.

And that meant one thing: Failure. The official one. Since she already _did_ fail.

She placed her forehead on her knees again in despair and pain- both from the poison from Geretta as well as the despair that hit her in the face every time she mused of a certain fact: she was not good enough to be a hunter... that she did not deserve to stay in the competition any longer.

And this fact pained her more than she could have imagined.

She did not even look at the plates just lying around in the grass. She just stared at the animals that accompanied her during her helpless stage and thanked them.

"Arigatou." she muttered as soon as she had recovered. She looked at the sky- purposely skipping the grass where Hisoka's plates rest.

The end of the fourth exam was near. And after thanking the animals one more time- simply because once wasn't enough for the company and encouragement that they gave. Gon turned her head to another direction and let out a deep breath. She was going to look for her human friends…

…and hang out with them one more time.

**...**

"Gon!" Kurapika called the moment he saw her figure. Kurapika felt elated but he frowned the instant he saw her expression. She just smiled at him and Leorio before telling them that it's nice to see them safe.

"What's up?" Gon asked nonchalantly, but Kurapika could sense she was wearing a mask. He felt extremely worried- it was not like her to hide behind a facade.

"Didn't you get the plates?" He asked almost immediately that it's rude.

"I did…" She muttered making him arch his eyebrows. _'Then why do you look so dejected, then?'_ He wanted to voice out but he knew his rudeness would had to be stopped.

He remained silent as Gon helped Leorio out to find his target. He watched her in comprehension as she literally sniffed Leorio's target. The moment Leorio stepped away from them to hunt his target down though, he started blurting his thoughts out.

"Why do you look so dejected, Gon?" He voiced out, mentally punching himself. She stared at him for a while to ponder whether or not to tell him.

"I…" She uttered, but nothing more. She looked sadly at the ground, looking as if she was at war with herself. Kurapika felt a twinge of pain in seeing the always-smiling Gon in such a state, and he knew that he needed to comfort her. It was his turn to help her, this time, and he found out that he was going to take all the similar opportunities that arouse.

He placed one of his palms to her cheek so that they would have eye contact. Gon flinched but didn't move any further. She then just looked straight into his eyes as he spoke.

"Gon, tell me. What happened?" He requested gently but sternly. Gon frowned and then shifted her gaze away. She felt that Kurapika was going to wait for her to talk, so she reluctantly decided to tell him.

"My target is this really strong person… and after a while of working and tailing him, I managed to get his plate. But… I was stupid…. I didn't think anyone was following me so Geretta immediately got all the plates. Then… my… target killed him and he gave my plate and his to me…" She took a deep breath. "There's no way I can accept that."

Kurapika unconsciously hardened his grip of her cheeks, causing her to look at him. He immediately softened them again but he wasn't able to let them go. He let out a huge sigh to keep himself calm.

"So you're planning on purposely failing this exam?" he asked as coherently as he could. Gon instantaneously went to correct him.

"I didn't do it on purpose, Kurapika. I already did fail."

Kurapika frowned even deeper. His annoyance slowly becoming more visible every sentence. "How can you say that? You got his plate didn't you?"

"But I lost it immediately – I even got help from him. I can't be a Hunter if I always need help… how can I help others when I can't even help myself-" She wanted to sob but Kurapika stopped her by holding her other cheek with his other hand to make her slowly turning face back to him.

"You helped all of us Gon, in way more ways than you could've imagined. I don't think any of us would be able to go this far without your help." He stated sternly, not lying at all. He recalled all the things Gon did– be they unconventional solutions or acts of pure kindness. Gon assisted and was always there ready to support anyone, but she didn't seem to realize that.

Gon stared at him, pondering what made him say that. She believed what Kurapika said… but that's because she didn't really know how to doubt a friend. Kurapika who had been waiting for her reaction for a quite some time decided to enumerate all the proof of his statement, when–

"Gon! Kurapika! Don't come inside!" Leorio ordered with audible urgency in his voice. But the two ignored the statement and unthinkingly went inside to find themselves in a dire situation with Leorio and two other contestants: Ponzu and Bodoro.

They were trapped by snakes and there seemed that there was no way out. Every opening was filled with snakes that would bite automatically if you got too close. They found out later that Bodoro was dead and no one could come near him since the snakes were guarding him, too. What made everything worse was Leorio got bitten and there was a huge chance that he would die before the exam would end.

They couldn't just passively wait for the committee to find them and pray Leorio was strong enough to hold on until then, now could they? They would never risk his life like that-

And not a moment too soon, Kurapika and Gon had a crazy idea. There was a good chance that the antidote was with Bodoro... but the downside was that _if_ it was not there then, another person might die.

"I'll do it." Gon said to Kurapika decisively. Kurapika and Ponzu objected vehemently but she was quick with her feet so that she was already bitten by the snakes by the time Kurapika stood up to stop her.

_Time stopped_

And the next thing he knew, Gon was already in their side- with the antidotes.

"Itte! What was that for?" Gon frowned holding her head that Kurapika just nudged. She was just injected with the antidote, after all, what could Kurapika be thinking?

"Don't go jump to your death like that." he whispered blankly, still shocked by the events, and Gon immediately felt the selfish side of her actions.

"G-Gomen Nasai."

Kurapika's eyes widened and he reflexively whipped his head to Gon. What did he look like for her to apologize so quickly?

"Ah..." he uttered forcing his usual expression on, ignoring Ponzu's prying stare.

The next problem, they realized, after composing themselves was how to get out and actually pass the exam. It was Gon who came up with yet another crazy idea: she proposed that they put the snakes to sleep with one of Ponzu's sleeping spray and she would hold her breath for 10 minutes and carry the others out to safety.

Kurapika wanted to object on this one, too, but there really was no other way. Besides, when Gon realized that she helped them _again_ she might change her mind about giving the examination up. So he decided to just hope for the best.

"Be careful, Gon." He whispered anxiously.

"I'll try..." He blinked but Gon just grinned at him reassuringly.

"But I'll make sure we all go through with this safely."

And she stood by her words.

As they had arrived outside, Gon placed their backs on separate trees and decided to return to _that_ place after surveying around to make sure they're safe. But just when she was about to leave she felt a firm grip on her hand.

"Where are you going?" Kurapika asked seriously as he pushed all his lethargy away. Gon smiled and sat to his level. She realized what Kurapika said, and decided to continue with this particular journey with them.

She kissed him on the cheeks and whispered,

"Arigatou." before she ran to her destination.

…leaving an utterly shocked blonde tomato behind.

**...**

The blimp arrived a little later, announcing that the hunters return to the ship within the one-hour time frame. The nine people who passed went there, most of whom were already near the meeting spot, and for a moment let their guards dropped in order to maintain their sanity. But most of them were no longer surprised at the gleeful atmosphere that those children brought.

"Killua!" Gon yelled joyfully as soon as she saw her friend's silver hair.

"Gon!" He shouted back with equal fervency. They gave each other a rather energetic high-five before drilling each other what happened the days they were not together.

"So… How'd it go~?" Killua asked and added, "You probably took out some random guys to get 3 points, right?" He asked jokingly, even when he really did expect her to say 'yes'.

"No…"

"What? How-d you – And why do you look so sad?"

"It was… given to me…" She muttered. Killua wanted to know what happened but the uncharacteristic sadness in her eyes told him she needed some space. So he just decided to look at her line of sight.

Gon was staring at the sunset. He smiled at the sight.

Killua never really appreciated its beauty before the hunter exam.

But right at that moment, he thought that it was one of the most beautiful things in the world.

**...**

SOME THOUSAND KILOMETERS ABOVE SEA LEVEL

They were given three days break before the start of the final exam. Leorio and a few others thought that it might be a written exam and decided to cram while Gon and Killua were as indifferent as they always were. They decided to do some exploring.

"WHOA!" Gon shouted as she stepped back because of the strong wind that greeted her as soon as she opened the door to the balcony. She immediately regained her footing and called Killua who was still walking towards the door. Gon ran towards the railing and expressed her childish amazement.

"Sugoi! All those buildings look so _tiny_ , ne, Killua!" She yelled at her friend who just smiled at her. Killua was glad she was back to normal. He watched her run towards the railing and rest on it as she stared at the view before following her there.

As he walked towards her, he noticed that she was not moving an inch and he stared at her as soon as he was beside her. She had that serene expression on her cute face startling Killua. He blinked for a few moments, and asked nonchalantly without attempting to hide his blush,

"What are you thinking about?"

"How huge the world is. And that I'm going to explore it once I become a Hunter."

"I see…" He muttered and then sadly looked into the horizon. She travelling around the world means there is little chance they would meet again after the exam.

"Killua?" She called when she saw his sad face. "Do you want to accompany me?"

_Silence_

He stared wide-eyed at her to find that she was scratching her face and blushing due to shyness. He covered the bottom half of his face and turned around- to hide his blush that seemed to be turning into a nosebleed.

Gon sighed in disappointment.

"I guess not, then…" She muttered out loud forcing Killua to get a hold of himself.

"No! You just shocked me that's all…" He cleared his throat. "I'd be glad to accompany you to find your father…. until you find him."

Gon immediately beamed at the statement and bear-hugged him in delight. Killua's legs lost all strength and fell down. He ignored the slight pain on his back and thanked God that the nosebleed didn't come before he actually hugged her back. Gon immediately sat up when she noticed that she hurt her friend.

She looked up the sky and held out her hand up so that she see its silhouette against the bright blue sky. Killua automatically did the same in an attempt to understand what she was doing. Gon made a pinky when she saw Killua's hands near hers. She asked Killua to do the same. He did so but then he flinched when she suddenly entwined her finger with his.

"Gon…?" he asked in both puzzlement and embarrassment.

She grinned. "This is called a Pinky promise."

He batted an eyelid in befuddlement."A what?"

"A pinky promise. It's something me and Mito-san do when we want to make a promise." She explained and Killua stared at their intertwined fingers.

"That's silly..."

"It is?" She asked in confusion. Killua chuckled.

"Yes. But _Fine_." he said as he grinned, keeping their fingers tangled. Gon returned to her beaming state and continued with her speech.

"Promise me you'd accompany me to my father." She said as if it was on some sort of contract- which was in a sense, true. Killua's grin transformed into a serene smile. He was going to be with Gon for a little while longer.

And that was a promise he'd gladly make any day.

"Okay. I promise."

.  
.

**END OF CHAPTER V**

_**Coming soon:  
** _ **CHAPTER VI: Pass X Fail X Illumi**

* * *

...

* * *

 ****  
What were you thinking as you read?  
Share it with me please~ I'm happy to read anything. ^^

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Read the rest here! https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7636977/1/Two-Rivers


End file.
